Matricide suspect confessed, sheriff says

Leaning against a white fence across from where authorities say a 27-year-old man bludgeoned his mother and buried her body beneath a shed was an eerie sign leftover from Halloween that read, “RIP the Lost Souls.”
One day after authorities arrested Joshua McWain of Greenfield and charged him with intentionally killing his mother Carol Stanford in the Daniels Corner Mobile Home Park, authorities said Thursday the Greenfield man had confessed to the gruesome crime.
“He admitted to everything,” Saratoga County Sheriff James Bowen said in an interview. “He said they had a disagreement, he hit her in the head with a blunt instrument and put her in the shed out back.”
Bowen would not say what caused the dispute that led to Stanford’s death, or what weapon McWain allegedly used. Deputies discovered Stanford’s body beneath the shed’s floor, which was accessible by a trap door.

Investigators working in the drizzling rain Thursday completed their investigation of the family’s light blue home and matching shed and delivered evidence to county District Attorney James A. Murphy III.
Stanford, 59, died of injuries to the face and forehead and excessive bleeding, said county Coroner John DeMartino, who conducted an autopsy on her body.
McWain lived with his mother in the 37-lot mobile home park at 370 Daniels Road. He struggled with mental health and anger issues, according to residents. He repeatedly struck his mother in the head at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Bowen. Police arrested McWain on Wednesday after neighbors alerted them Stanford had gone missing.
Police visited the home and interviewed McWain, who originally told police his mother had gone on a trip, Bowen said. The 27-year-old later confessed and was charged with second-degree murder, according to the sheriff. McWain was arraigned by Town Justice Deborah Hopkins and sent to Saratoga County jail without bail.
County police and prosecutors were familiar with McWain. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny last year for stealing nearly $5,000 from a residence in Greenfield between June 18, 2011 and Sept. 17, 2011, according to county court files. McWain pleaded down the charge to petit larceny and was convicted of the misdemeanor, according to court papers. Judge Jerry Scarano sentenced him Jan. 31 to three years of probation, which expires on March 27, 2015, and ordered him to pay $4,800 in restitution and $240 in surcharges by Jan. 22, 2015, according to the court papers.
As part of the conditions of his probation, McWain could not leave the county without the court’s permission and was ordered to not possess any firearms or knives, according to the court.
Murphy did not respond to inquiries about McWain, but he released a statement late Thursday.
“Sheriff Bowen and I are working together on this very serious case,” the district attorney said. “I am confident that we will be able to sustain our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” McWain is expected to make a return appearance in town court at 6 p.m. Monday.

McWain faces 25 years to life in prison

McWain and his mother enjoyed going on strolls around the mobile home park, according to neighbors. A neighbor named Cyndi Merrill said Wednesday that McWain “was in a world of his own.”

Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said Thursday the mother and son had a loving relationship, but bickered a lot. They were both unemployed, the person said.
McWain was a master mechanic, but he had a tendency to mumble words under his breath and kick things, the person said. “I was scared to death something was going to happen,” the Daniels Road resident said. “I told my son last week I didn’t trust him.”
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